We started the weekend in Chicago, Illinois at a totally different pace than last weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading was packed full of red clay and deep ruts. Even though we are racing the Boo-Koo Arenacross Championship, Tyler Bowers and Zach Ames both said that particular weekend was more like a pro national outdoor track than a regular arenacross track. Some East Coast riders were used to the ruts and used them to their advantage while most others struggled on the challenging track.
Practice at the Boo-Koo Arenacross race in Reading, PA went extremely well considering the track conditions. It took many riders several laps to work up the courage to launch the huge catapult jump. Shift supported riders Tyler Bowers and Zach Ames adjusted well to the mile long ruts that traveled from the start of the corners and through the faces and landings of the jumps. Zach mentioned that he liked the difference in the tracks and layouts and Tyler said that it added a change and variety with the race results and that it challenged each and every rider to race to their highest capability.
With practice out of the way, the night show seemed to just get better and better. Crazy battling in the heats and LCQ's led to intense mains. The 250 race started out with Tyler in sixth and each and every lap he moved up further and further to cross the line with a strong 2nd place finish. Zach on the other hand started out further towards the back in ninth place. Fortunately he didn't find it hard to catch up and battle his way through the pack and ended up claiming the final podium position right behind his teammate Tyler.
The 450 main was one to remember with Bowers, Ripple, and Lange all battling for that number one spot. Each lap the leader changed as the riders got deeper and deeper into lappers. Tyler finally passed from second to first just in time to take the white flag. Sadly, with half a lap to go Ty's clutch went out and he coasted through most of the whoops until his bike officially quit running in the rhythm section. Most riders would have sat there for a minute and yelled a few choice words, but not Tyler! He hopped off his bike and began pushing it the rest of the way around the track. He was so determined to finish that he pushed it over every single jump; he even pushed it up the massive Boo-Koo catapult jump and across the finish line just in time to take the checkered flag for tenth.
A few riders disagreed on where Bowers finished and he ended up getting bumped down to thirteenth, which is still incredible considering how far he pushed his bike! Ames held up his end of the team though and claimed a strong 3rd place finish for his second podium of the weekend. On Saturday, Bowers quickly rebounded from his disappointing finish to claim a 2nd in the 250 main. But Tyler saved the best for last with a huge victory in the 450 class. Teammate Zach Ames also held his own, coming through with a solid 6th place finish in the 450 main.
The Boo-Koo Arenacross race in Chicago, Illinois was like no other. The track was laid out with a roller in the middle of the start stretch which then went into a left-hand turn full of sand. I don't mean just a light dusting of sand...I'm talking about a huge sand pit! If you made it through the sand pit, then next on the list was a tough section of eleven whoops. The thing to do was to skim the tops of each one but Zach said that if you got off rhythm then you could go triple, triple, triple, double. But you had to watch out for the second to last hump because it tended to catch everyone by surprise if you hit it wrong. After the whoops you then turned left again and went over a little tabletop and then on to the Boo-Koo catapult. After the big jump, you made a right and headed down the straightaway before making a left into the rhythm section where the favored lines were to go triple triple, or jump on jump off double.
Tyler started off his race weekend well with a second place finish in the 450 heat race. Zach had a tougher go of things and ended up having to go to the LCQ, where he took the win. In the 250 class, Tyler won his heat race and Zach took second in his. The 250 main was awesome as Tyler grabbed the holeshot and ran away with the lead for his third victory of the season! Zach didn't get out to the start he was looking for but still came through with a solid 7th at the finish. In the 450 main, Bowers and Ames both got off the line poorly and had to work their way up from mid pack starts. They were both charging hard and quickly moved into the top-5 with Tyler eventually crossing the line in 2nd, followed closely by Zach in 4th. Bowers continued his impressive run on Saturday, claiming a 2nd place finish in the 250 main and another runner-up finish in the 450 class. Zach was also on the gas and scored a 4th in the 250 main and a top-10 finish in the 450 race.
With six rounds on the books, Tyler Bowers currently holds down 2nd in the overall championship standings with teammate Zach Ames running in 7th as the series heads to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Tyler Bowers on the podiu...
Tyler Bowers on the podium.